Mom Breastfeeds Her Elementary School Daughter & Doesn't Care What You Think About It

It's World Breastfeeding Month, and we are all for supporting mothers nursing their children, for however long they feel is right. Breastfeeding is normal and natural, but at some point there are those who wonder: Is enough enough? We want to respect all mothers for the choice they make to nurse their little ones, but can a child ever be too old to breastfeed? One mother is speaking out in the wake of criticism for still nursing her 6-year-old daughter.

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Check out this video to see the 52-year-old mother of a little girl named Nina defend herself for her choice to continue nursing the child, despite her being of elementary school age.

While we never want to attack a mother for making a well-thought-out decision for the benefit of her child, it is worth wondering if there is a point where a child should stop nursing. After all, a child may not be aware that they could be teased in school if their classmates find out they still nurse, and it might be unfair of her mother to allow her to continue nursing even though it is not expected among children her age.

We all know that breastfeeding has myriad nutritional benefits for a baby or toddler, but at 6 years old, it is certainly for comfort above all else. At that age, maybe it would be helpful for her to learn other ways to comfort herself, as she obviously can't nurse forever. Of course, if she and her mother are happy, they should be free to continue without worrying that others are going to criticize them, but I do wonder how aware Nina is of what the rest of the world thinks about what she and her mother are doing.

As someone who nursed a baby into toddlerhood, I am hugely supportive of nursing mothers in any and all situations. Even though I find it a bit unexpected that a mother would nurse a 6-year-old, I would definitely never make her feel uncomfortable or say anything discouraging to her if I encountered her in public. That said, it is hard to deny that most people in society will find it strange to hear that a child this age is still nursing. It is simply not something you see every day and most wouldn't see any benefit to it by that age.

No matter what, it is helpful to the cause of breastfeeding to have a story like this in the news because it fosters discussion and possibly breeds acceptance. And even if it doesn't breed acceptance, it at least brings about awareness that there are some mothers and children who nurse into the school-age years and that as long as that's what they both want, we shouldn't shame them for it.